By Sulaiman Jalloh

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) provided update on the 2023 Auditor-General report at a press conference on Thursday, January 9, 2025, in which the Commission identified key issues in the operations of ministries, department and agencies.

Francis Ben Kaifala Esq, ACC Commissioner thanked the Audit Service Sierra Leone for the work they’ve been doing over the years, noting most of the issues across public institutions are supervision and leadership challenges, while suggesting that most the queries require immediate actions.

He added that they have to act to combat corruption. “There has to be responsibility and accountability,” he said, while requesting the report of the work of Parliament on the 2021-2022 audit report.

The ACC boss emphasized that ”most of the problems are human problems”, adding the majority of the Auditor General’s reports are supervision problems and that there should be a system of accountability. “Some leaders collude with their team members to embezzle state money,” he said, saying, “I can assure you we are aware,” while acknowledging the collaborative efforts between Parliament and the Commission.

Commissioner Ben Kaifala detailed various things in the 2023 audit report that range from duty waivers, payment without supporting documents, fixed assets not available for inspection, and unavailability of staff for physical verification, something he termed ‘administrative lapses.’

Francis Ben Kaifala furthered that the Sierra Leone Chamber of Agric-Business Development and the Ministry of Agriculture, among other MDAs, failed to justify funds they utilized that amount to millions of Leones while stressing the need for stronger supervision and accountability mechanisms in public institutions across the country. He, however, urged leaders to take full responsibility for their roles.

For him, timely response to internal Auditors is very crucial to transparency and accountability and, as such, would avoid giving Parliament lengthy queries. He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to consulting Parliament and other stakeholders to ensure the 2023 Audit report is treated with utmost seriousness to reduce impunity while fostering accountability in Sierra Leone.

In his statement, the deputy commissioner, Augustine Foday Ngobie, said that the media is one of their reliable partners as they have the largest constituents than the ACC, noting the commission is satisfied with the work of the press.